Poovar shipyard project not prioritized due to costs

The Poovar shipyard project will not be a priority for the State right now. The Port Minister, V.N. Vasavan, explained that building a breakwater at Poovar would be very expensive. This is due to the area's unique conditions, where the Neyyar River flows into the Arabian Sea. This situation leads to a lot of siltation, which would raise annual dredging costs at the site. During a recent investment summit, shipbuilding investors considered setting up facilities near the Vizhinjam international seaport. However, the State has no plans to establish a new shipyard at Poovar, which is only 10 km from the port. The Minister noted that lack of road and rail connections and high land prices are also reasons for delaying the project. Cochin Shipyard, which looked into the feasibility of the project, has not shown further interest. Additionally, plans to acquire land for a shipyard at Mumbai port back in 2017 led the State to abandon plans for Poovar. The project had initially gained attention in 2011 when the Union Shipping Secretary recommended establishing a port-cum-shipyard in Kerala. Studies suggested Vizhinjam and Poovar as possible locations. However, the high costs have stalled progress in the Poovar area. Despite this, the recent success of Vizhinjam port, handling many container ships since its trial run, has reignited interest. Now, the State is looking into the possibility of setting up a ship repair yard at Vizhinjam port instead.